Behavioural & Anonymous threat Assessments

Behavioural & Anonymous threat Assessments

Far too many organisations are unprepared for threats that materialise. In these cases, the impact of such incidents are often much more severe than if they had anticipated the potential materialisation of the key threats. A behavioural threat assessment is an effective instrument to identify, assess, and manage the risk of future, planned malicious acts by individuals or groups of individuals.This could entail acts of violence, stalking, sabotage, data leaks, espionage or other forms of malicious behaviours. With this approach a structured process is utilised in response to an actual concern, threat, a perceived threat, or alarming behaviour noted by others and aims to prevent further ‘derailment’ by individuals or groups towards the actual malicious act. It also prepares the first responders to such incidents in an effective way.

Signpost Six supports organisations with behavioural threat assessments and implementation of mitigation measures with the following services:

Case management

We support individuals and organisations with the threat assessments and management of concerning cases. We assist with assessing the level of concern, patterns of escalation, and provide advice on how to manage the case – whether ourselves on behalf of the client, or through the client’s management team, and if needed in cooperation with other institutions.

Organisational support and implementation

Signpost Six supports organisations with assessing their most relevant threats based on a threat landscape assessments. This then becomes the basis for integrating threat assessment policies, processes and procedures within their (oftentimes existing) structures. Threats from malicious acts are cross cutting and could emerge in any organisation whether it’s a NGO, a public institution or a global corporation. Derailment towards malicious acts doesn’t happen instantly. It’s a process over time. Therefore, prevention remains equally an active process and requires policies and programmes, threat assessment procedures and management support, and a joint understanding of the importance of such processes.

Anonymous Threatening Communications

Anonymous threats are becoming much more prevalent in an online society. Digital channels, in particular social media, have become very easy and anonymous vehicles to target victims online and potentially harm them in person.

Signpost Six supports individuals, groups or organisations with threat assessments of an individual or group; the assessment of what stage of the threat on the scale of derailment; the identification of authorship (Who is the perpetrator?) and the steps that need to be taken to ensure safety for the victim. This involves close cooperation between IT/cyber experts and behavioural scientists.